Today I was trying to get focused on Sundays message for our First Baptist Annual Camo Day this Sunday, but my mind kept wandering in another direction. Ok, I was thinking about my guns; maybe the result of not competing much the past few weeks, or perhaps something deeper. I asked God direct my thoughts and this is what He did with them.

I was not day dreaming of pulling the trigger, the smell of a fresh round sent downrange or even wondering if my guns were thinking of me at the same time! I was pondering their construction and comparing it to our own.

I strongly believe that we, like our guns, were designed by the Great Engineer and built by a Master Craftsman. But, let’s be honest, we are not born as we should or will be in our future.

We are born as babies and there is much experience, growth and adjustments to come in our future, and sometimes life leaves us with some issues and “stuff” that need work.

When I buy a gun, I know it is not all it can be, but it wants to be better! I am 56 years old and still want to be better; ok, I need to be better.

Regardless of the brand of gun, if it is going to be competitive I know it needs work to be better. Maybe a new trigger, a few springs, some file work here, some polishing there, more mag capacity, better sights, new barrel and the list goes on and on; as do the costs.

We should understand that if we want to be the best we can be there is some work that needs done as well! Maybe it is an old part (habit) that needs replaced, or part of our life has been “roughed up” and needs smoothed back out, we need better sights (vision) so we can direct our life onto a better trajectory and the list goes on and on.

There are a few issues with my gun I am able to take care of on my own! I have replaced a barrel, upgraded a trigger system and other simple fixes. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited and sometimes I really mess something up!

Now, maybe I am the only one that has had to go to a gunsmith with a nonfunctioning gun, probably with a bag full of springs, pins and bits, and had to pay them to fix what I messed up trying to fix! Ugh.

Experience has also told me that some things improve with a little time and use. Triggers smooth out, mag releases get easier and rounds feed better with a little “break in” time. There are parts of our life that time and experience certainly help improve in our lives. Burn my hands on a hot stove once and I got it! Don’t touch hot stoves. But am I the best I can be because I know that hot stuff hurts me?

Life is much the same. We all have problems areas, broken parts and sometimes get lost trying to figure out where all the pieces go. We know we should be better, have tried all we know how to try and probably made things worse. Ugh.

What can we do?

What I have found that if I want my gun to run at its very best I need to take it to a Master Gunsmith. They are able to do things well beyond my capabilities! I believe in their skills so much that when I buy a new competition gun I will leave it with them before I ever pull the trigger once.

With all of our lives, we can go to the Great Engineer and Master Builder that designed us, built us and has the master specifications and plans for our lives. They know who we are supposed to be and what is possible in our life. They have the wisdom, experience, skills and compassion for their Creation to put everything back better than we ever thought it could be; they can give us life, and life abundant.

I am not sure what you are waiting to “wear in” to make life better; but chances are it will wear out first. I am not sure what you are trying to fix yourself, hoping this time will be better but may just end up with more broken bits.

Here is a piece of advice for you: Take your life to God with all the broken bits, worn down surfaces and off target shooting and ask Him to make you better.

John 1:1 – 5 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” NLT